Learn how to recover unsynced OneDrive with four feasible methods on this page. Meanwhile, there’re some relevant data loss prevention measures for you.
Microsoft OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) is a file hosting service operated by Microsoft. It provides free 5GB storage space for users to keep, share, or sync their OneDrive files.
But some users could unsync OneDrive from PCs because they’re unwilling to continue subscribing to it. Assume you’ve paused the OneDrive sync process temporarily (2, 8, or 24 hours), there will be no synchronization of all/specific files during this period.
Sometimes, crashed computers, too many/larger files, and poor internet connection also can affect OneDrive files sync.
Let’s look at some cases.
Case A:
I have an Acer laptop that I’ve been using for over a year and have saved most of my documents on OneDrive. But the laptop now won’t boot up. What’s worse, when I check my files on OneDrive online, not all of the files were there. I suspect it wasn’t syncing.
- A user from Microsoft
Case B:
Yesterday, I dumped a lot of files videos, pdf, and word documents into OneDrive, but half of them were not synced because of the slow speed. I tried to unlink the OneDrive to restart the syncing process. Then I realized all my unsynced files were missing. I thought it would be in the recycle bin, but it’s not there. So I realized they’ve been deleted because I checked online OneDrive recycle bin and it’s not there either.
- A user from Microsoft
For the first user in Case A, it’s likely there’s something wrong with his/her PC. In this case, this user can take out the hard drive with unsynced OneDrive files and put it into another PC to scan. Then you can get your needed OneDrive files.
But the second user, his/her OneDrive documents might have been deleted. Those users who’re eager to recover deleted files from OneDrive, please read further.
If you’re eager to recover unsynced OneDrive files, perhaps the following solutions are right for you. Please get an overview of them.
How to recover deleted files from OneDrive without syncing? As long as you’ve stored your desired OneDrive files on the Windows PC, you can restore them from the desktop Recycle Bin directly.
Step 1. Open your Recycle Bin and find your needed OneDrive files.
Step 2. Right-click on your selected OneDrive files and click the “Restore” button.
How to recover OneDrive files? Undeniably, regular backups are the best hedge against data loss. If you’ve backed up offline OneDrive files using File History and saved them on your computer, you can restore unsynced OneDrive files with this built-in feature.
These steps describe how to restore offline OneDrive files from File History.
Step 1. Enter “Control Panel” in the search box and open it. Then go to System and Security.
Step 2. When it comes to File History, select the “Restore your files from File History” option.
Step 3. Click the “Restore personal files” button.
Step 4. “Restore” your selected OneDrive files to their original saved paths. If you need to set a new saved location, please click Restore > Restore to.
Though the above solution can help users salvage their offline OneDrive files, it cannot record the editing process of their OneDrive files.
At the moment, you can restore previous versions of files via Previous Versions as long as you’ve enabled File History. Likewise, if you’ve turned on System Protection of the local disk including your desired OneDrive files, Previous Versions also works for you.
After activating these features, you can get several copies of your offline OneDrive files according to the timeline. Please refer to the following steps.
Step 1. Go to the OneDrive Personal folder and choose the folder that saves your needed OneDrive files. Then right-click on it and select the “Restore Previous Versions” option.
Step 2. Browse and select an earlier version according to its time and importance. Then click the “Restore” button.
To recover large deleted folders under OneDrive, you can right-click on OneDrive and select Restore previous versions. After that, “Restore” your chosen file/folder version.
Previous Versions indeed is a practical feature for you to revert OneDrive or its folders to its previous state. However, some users haven’t developed a sense of taking data loss prevention measures. Let alone making regular backups.
So how to recover deleted files from OneDrive without backups? The answer is seeking help from professional Windows data recovery tools like MyRecover. Maybe you’ll be attracted by its powerful features, good compatibility, and easy-to-follow steps.
Download MyRecover on your Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Windows computer to recover deleted OneDrive files!
Step 1. After launching MyRecover, hover the mouse over the partition that stores the OneDrive files you want. Then click Scan.
Step 2. You can quickly locate your desired OneDrive files by Name, Path, Date, or Type. You can also wait to view all the deleted & lost files after the scanning process.
Step 3. Go to the Deleted Files and click the OneDrive folder. Then select your needed OneDrive files and click the “Recover x files” button.
After the Windows data recovery process, you’d better stored these retrieved OneDrive files in a new location.
How to recover unsynced OneDrive files? In brief, it’s relatively easy for you to restore deleted OneDrive from your desktop Recycle Bin if you’ve saved them on your PC.
Besides, regular backups even can help you restore OneDrive files after emptying your Recycle Bin. On the contrary, there’ll be no other way than using leading Windows data recovery software like MyRecover.
Since you’ve realized the importance of backups, it’s time for you to make backups via Windows features or free backup software for Windows, AOMEI Backupper.